The Journey Home
by A Composer of Dreams
Summary: Erza dwells on her past once again. The Grand Magical Games have ended and with the departure of Jellal, she has retreated back into her shell once again. This time remembering the time after she was betrayed at The Tower of Heaven, and the time before she made her way to Fairy Tail. Remembering the friends she made and then rejected.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! Thank you for trying this story out, hopefully I won't disappoint as I try to fill some of Erza's back story with my own story. But before you dive into it, I would ask that you take the time to go to this link here ( watch?v=5AiSrCPvpco) and enjoy the music. Think of it as the opening for this project I'm so excited about.

Now as is mandatory (or at least kosher) **I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

_The last thing she had remembered was the warm sand underneath her, her cries of agony from the loss of her friends… from the loss of Jellal. She had walked for what had seemed for miles alone upon the beach that night. Hungry, tired, and wounded; she soon passed out from exhaustion. So why was this boy carrying her, how did he find her? Why was he running?_

"_Don't worry Miss! The towns almost in sight, you're going to be okay Miss! You're going to be okay."_

"_No… I'm not," she thought to herself. "How could things ever be okay?"_

Erza bolted up from her bed, panting desperately for breath. "_Damn, why now of all times… do I have to be thinking of him?"_

She got up and walked to the window of her apartment, wrapping her blanket tightly around her. Winter had come to the town of Magnolia and snow gently fell upon the town. She punched the window, the glass spider webbed, marring her reflection as cold tears rolled down her eyes.

**Chapter 1: They Call Him Jack**

_eighteen years ago…_

"So Doc… is she going to be ok?"

"Jack, stop worrying and let her rest. She'll be fine."

"How many times do I have to say, MY NAME'S NOT JACK!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have kept that ridicules title then boy!"

Ezra had been listening to the two voices for the past hour, a boy and a man had been arguing in her room for the past hour. The man was obviously a doctor, though why he was treating her she couldn't say. Slaves were never treated at The Tower except in the rare cases a child was born, and what was she wrapped in! She's never felt something so soft!

"Alright little one, you can open your eye now. You're not going to get any better by just lying in bed all day."

Ezra squeaked and shut her good eye tighter. She was surprised when the man sighed and walked out of the room, dragging the kicking and screaming boy.

"Come on Jack, out guest seems to be a shy one."

"My name's not Jack!" the boy said as the door slammed shut. Ezra waited till she could no longer hear the boy's yelling down the hall before opening her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw. The room she was in was bright and full of color, it was too much for her mind to handle. She closed her eye as she fought down the encroaching headache. Having only seen the bare stone walls of the tower, the change proved too much for her to handle. She opened her eye again and took in the sight before her, a beautiful mural of a sunset had been painted in front of her in all of its glory. Sunlight streamed in from an open window. The light danced across the painted water, bringing it to life before her. Ezra took a fearful step out of her bed as she made her way to the window. Her sore body protested against the effort, she ignored that constant in her life. It was not the town the coastal town that lay before her, nor the beauty of the ocean before her that took her breath away. No… it was the lack of bars on the window, she climbed up onto the window sill and was about to lower herself to the ground when the door opened suddenly.

"See, what I'd tell you Jack. All we needed was to give the kid some time to herself and she'd get up on her own," the doctor said as he barged into the room. He was a tall man in his early twenties, his short brown hair framing a perfectly carved face. His blue eyes covered by a pair of round glasses that gave him a dignified look, the stark white lab coat concealing his lean body.

"WAH!" the startled Ezra squeaked she fell from the window. When she didn't hit the floor she opened her eyes to see the boy she heard before. His arm was outstretched to her and a small circle of light floated in front of it.

"Miss… I spent most of the night dragging you here. I rather not have saving you become one of those habits," he said with a hint of annoyance as he gently set her down.

"Thank you Jack. Now Miss, you really need to get back to bed," he said as he picked the girl up into his arms. "You shouldn't even be able to stand as beat up as you are, you're going to need at least another day of bed rest before I can let you outside. I'll have Jack keep you company while I check on my other patients." With that the doctor tucked Ezra back into bed and left without another word. The two children just stared at each other, each examining the other with suspicion. The boy seemed tall for his age, he was a little shorter than Simon though much bulkier.

"_Probably because he gets to eat like a King,"_ Ezra thought. His hair was a tarnished silver that was messy and unkempt. Golden eyes adorned a face more suited to laughter then tears, making him look both mischievous and serious at once.

"Sigh… I've known Doc Heler for years and he's alright. I just wish he'd call me by my actual name," the boy said laughing while extending his hand to greet her. "I'm Sivo The Jack-of-All and it's a pleasure to meet you Miss."

Erza stared at the hand in horror as Jellal's last words filled her mind._ "… I demand that you never tell anyone of this place… if word were to get out, then I'd have no choice but to destroy this tower and anyone inside it. You're forbidden from ever returning here again. Set one foot on this land and I'll kill your friends… ONE FALSE MOVE AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE!"_

Ezra froze as the face of her friends flashed in front of her eyes, she had to get out of here before anything happened to them. She reached down inside of herself and remembered the feelings she had when Grandpa Rob had been killed. A magic circle formed beneath her as she screamed out a frightening battle cry. The chair that the boy was sitting on lifted up off the ground and threw him into the floor. Ezra's telekinesis magic then began to tear the room apart, throwing chunks of wall at the boy and burying him under a pile of rubble. Ezra ran out through the window just as Doc Heler barged in standing over the pile of rubble.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE JACK!" he yelled as Sivo popped his head out.

"How should I know? All I did was say hi," jack cried. "Ah… Why do I have to have such poor luck with woman?"

Doc Heler punched Sivo's head back into the rubble, eliciting a sharp howl of pain from the boy. "You're far too young to be thinking about that kid."

Ezra's body was screaming in protest as she ran throughout the small town, dodging people who barely took notice of the girl.

"_I gotta run, as far away as I can! If not Jellal might kill Sho, Simon, and the others if they find out!" _Ezra risked a glance behind her and saw that none of the people were following her. _"What's the matter with them? Don't they care that I just escaped, there should be alarms going off everywhere and guards chasing after me!"_

"Hi there!"

"BWAAAAAAAH!" screamed Erza as she slammed a nearby cart into Sivo with her magic, throwing them both through a wall. "Ha, ha, ha…"

"Look Miss, I know that I can be kind of a jerk but this is ridiculous," the boy said, appearing next to her. Erza threw another cart into him, again sending him through another wall. "Ok… That one I deserved," he mumbled from under the wreckage. Erza ran away as fast as she could, watching every movement she could see. She wouldn't be surprised by that boy a third time.

"You know," Sivo yelled, his voice seemed to emanated around her. "With all the magic power you're throwing out isn't doing your injuries any good. You're going to collapse at this rate, and if your injuries don't kill you Doc probably will!"

Erza continued running, ignoring the boy's voice as best as possible.

"Sigh… you really are quite a pain Miss," Sivo said, appearing in front of her. A silver and red magic circle appeared at the tip of his hand. "Now, **Sleep…**"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Titania**

Erza woke up, restrained in the same soft bed. The room was thoroughly trashed, Ezra had torn out the mural and piled it upon the floor along with the small sink and most of the sparse furniture.

"Out! Out! I want out!" She screamed as she struggled against the restraints.

"I'm sorry miss, but I think you've caused enough damage today thank you," Doc Heler said.

"LET ME OUT!"

"You can struggle all you want, those straps restrict your flow of magic energy. So no more telekinesis tricks today." He said, pulling a chair up to the girl. "Sigh… Look, I'm sorry that I have to keep you restrained, but until you're willing to lie still… you're not going anywhere."

Ezra stopped struggling as he talked. The Doctor's voice was calm and kind, the care for Ezra's safety clear in his eyes.

"Is the boy ok?" She asked timidly.

"Oh Jack? He's fiiiine, all he has a few cracked ribs but trust me, he's been through a lot worse."

Ezra cocked her head in confusion.

"Surprised? You shouldn't be. For his age he's one of the most skilled wizards I've had the pleasure of meeting. Sivo The Jack-of-All, The Elementless Wizard of the Fiore Kingdom. He's possibly the only wizard alive that can is capable of using most forms of magic. Buuut because of the small amount of magic power he's able to produce, he's going to be limited to the most basic of spells. Unlike yourself, the talent you have telekinesis is an extraordinary feat of power, if a bit wasteful."

Ezra listened to the doctor's explanation, but it only left her more confused. "S… Sir, is this why you're keeping me here?"

Doctor Heler's face dropped at that remark. "Well… yes, kind of. To be honest miss, you should be dead right now from all of the magic energy you've wasted. Not to mention that all that energy has caused multiple micro-fractures in your bones, and strained your heart and lungs in the worse way possible. Again miss, you should be dead. And your going to be dead if you waste anymore energy like earlier Today."

A nurse opened the door and came in carrying a tray piled with food, Heler thanked her as he took the tray from her.

"So… now that you're awake, let's see if you can hold any food down," he said as he set the tray down in front of Erza. "Now I'm going to unbuckle your arm restraints so that you can eat… You promise not to hit me right?" he asked, barely containing a chuckle.

The thought had crossed her mind, but her growling stomach won over her pride. She looked down at the tray unsure of what to do. She didn't recognize any of the food before her, nor the silver objects next to it.

"Um… what's this thing here?" she asked pointing a slice of fluffy white stuff with red things all over it.

"…"

"…"

"… YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT CAKE IS!" Heler yelled. "Sigh… You know what this thing is right?"

Erza stared at the silver thing with four pointy things coming out of the top. "N, N… No…" she said hesitating.

"Alright then," Heler sighed cutting a slice of the cake. "Open wide!"

"Whah, mumph…" The package of sweetness exploded in Erza's mouth, sending shivers down her spine. Its fluffy texture smothered her taste buds lovingly, while the sour red stuff added a savory sourness each time she took a bite. She had died and finally gone to heaven.

"I take it that you'd like more?" Heler said holding another piece of cake in front of her.

Ezra snatched the fork out of his hand with one bite.

"Gah!" Heler screamed as he fell back startled. Erza ignored him while he clambered back onto his chair, too enraptured by the wonderful sweetness caressing her taste buds.

"Ok, let's try that again," the doctor said pulling fork from her mouth while taking the tray from her bed. "Now… Name?" he said, holding the piece of cake barely out of her reach.

"_ONE FALE MOVE AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE!" _were the words that echoed through Erza's mind with that question. She looked down at her hands as she resigned herself to defeat. She would never betray her friends for something as small as food, no matter how sweet and delicious it was.

The doctor sat staring at her for a full minuet before moving. "Sigh… I guess you'll tell us when you're ready then," he said as he slide the tray in front of her. "Now since we can't have you eating like a barbarian, open wide and say Ahhh!"

Erza stared at the doctor in utter shock, she hadn't expected kindness at a time like this.

"Oh don't give me that face dear," he said in mock offence. "What kind of doctor would I be if I let my patients starve? Now again… Ahhhhh"

Erza realized that she had a lot to think about as her eyes darted from the doctor to the piece of cake, but she soon realized that she could worry about that tomorrow as she accepted the cake from the man. As she was about to devour another succulent piece, the door flew open. Revealing a stunned and bandaged Sivo standing in the doorway.

"Doc… you're a… a loli?"

…_later that night_

"So how's our little princess doing Doc?" Sivo asked from his hospital bed as Heler walked into the room.

"She finally fell asleep," he said as he pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"… You didn't have to break the rest of my ribs… loli."

"I AM NOT A LOLI!" Heler yell as he jabbed Sivo in the ribs, eliciting a sharp gasp from him.

"And that's just how a loli would react… Doc!"

"Hmph… If you're going to just sit there and insult me Jack, I'll just leave you to your misery."

"Sigh… Fine, just stop calling me Jack… So what do we know about this girl so far?"

"Good question _Jack_… She's a slave obviously. Taken at a young age, so she at least remembers the taste of freedom while being held there. Her masters were sadistically abusive towards if her destroyed eye means anything."

"So where did she come from then?" Sivo mused. "We've spent the past three months tracking down groups of slavers, and they seem to be gathering here on the eastern coast."

"Which doesn't make sense," Heler added. "Bosco is the only nation that still allows slavery, which is far to the west. Most slavers don't have the balls to risk making that long for a trip. Especially when our Navy rips apart any slave ship they find."

"And don't forget that there have been reports of villages disappearing from Fiore without a trace, and neither the Magic Council nor the government seem to care..."

"Which would suggest some very powerful men are backing it."

The two sat in silence as their thoughts darkened at what that line of thought implied.

"Well, we're not going to get anything done by just sitting here mopeing," Sivo said, getting up out of bed.

"And where do you think you're going with several broken ribs?"

Sivo just turned back and smiled. "Checking up on the girl, I doubt she'd be dumb enough to fall asleep with a loli in her room."

"I'M NOT A FREAKING LOLI!" Heler shouted as he threw an empty chair at the door just as it closed. He sat alone in the room quietly for a few seconds before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Master… if you're up there, I hope this boy can be..."

* * *

Erza sat alone in her room marveling at the night sky. The sky was one of the few sights at The Tower that seemed to fill her with peace, she would often dream that she was one of the many stars that dotted the sky. Free and safe from all the horrors that her life had to offer her in The Tower. Now though, it filled her with sorrow. She thought of the friends she had left behind, of Sho, Simon, Wally, Mirillana and the brief moments of joy they shared together. She thought of her kind Grandpa Rob and how he shared stories of his adventures out in the free world, how those stories gave them hope for tomorrow. But most of all, she thought of Jellal. The kindness in his eyes as he strove to protect those who had come to mean so much to him. How he always had a kind and encouraging word to say, how he never showed fear when his friends were in danger. Wally had asked her if she had a crush on Jellal, then she said no, not ready to voice her feelings aloud. But now…

"I love you Jellal…"

Tears fell from her good eye as those words echoed throughout her broken heart.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she whispered to herself. Sivo stood by the door listening, not entering out of respect of the girl's privacy. He would ask her about this person named Jellal later... When her sobbing ceased he entered the room and pulled up a seat next to her.

"Better?" he asked.

"… No."

"I didn't think so… Titania, that's what we'll call you."

"What?"

"Doc said that you wouldn't give him your name, I don't know the reason why, but it's also the same reason why you trashed this room isn't it?"

Erza looked down at her hands again. "Yes."

"Because you were afraid it might hurt someone right?"

"…Yes."

"Then Titania will be your name until you no longer fear those that will hurt your friends, and till you're ready to stand against them," Sivo said with fire in his voice.

"Titania," Erza whispered to herself and smiled, it was a good name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Sharing Pain**

Sivo and Titania's swords met with the dull whack of practice blades as they sparred in the hospital's courtyard. It had been a week since the boy had carried the girl to the hospital and both were recovering quickly from their wounds.

"Be careful of your blindside Titania!" Sivo shouted as his sword came in swinging from her right side. She ducked, letting it pass over her head as it clipped a few strands of hair. She came up strong, thrusting into Sivo's gut. He spun to her right again, sending Titania off balance as he wacked her behind as she sailed pass. She landed hard on the ground and soon felt Sivo's sword pressing into the small of her back.

"Yield?" Sivo teased.

Titania just smiled. A magic circle appeared beneath her and she threw Sivo's sword aside with her telekinesis, her own sword rising to strike as she kick the boy back. Sivo jumped out of the way and pulled out a small white piece of chalk.

"Script Magic: **BIND**!" The word formed in the air and arms of magic energy shot out pinning both the sword and Titania to the ground.

"Now do you yield?" Sivo asked again.

"No you jerk! Let me out, I'm not done kicking your ass yet!" Erza shouted in defiance. Sivo responded by adding the word **Tickle **to the spell.

"Haha… Seems like Sivo's finally starting to wear on your patience Titania," Heler said as he walked up to the two.

"Erza, stop struggling!" Heler said after examining her. "You're going to tear out your stitches at this rate."

"Then, Haha, tell _him _to, Heehee, let me GO!" she said pointing to Sivo as best as she tried not to laugh.

"Sigh… Sivo, will you can let the little demon go now."

"Fiiiiiiine, but this counts as a win Titania," Sivo yelled, releasing the spell.

As soon as the binding spell dissipated, Titania gained an evil glint to her eye.

"Ahhhh Craaaaaaap," Sivo said just before Titania's fist collided with his face. The force of the punch was powerful enough to cause half of his face to pancake as he tumbled across the courtyard into one of its stone walls. The momentum he had left was just enough to crack the portion where he hit as well.

"You jerk, you CHEATED!" Titania screamed as she peeled Sivo off of the wall and began to beat him to death.

"AH, WAIT, NO… TITANIA! His ribs still haven't fully healed, you need to stop!"

Erza ignored Heler's pleas as she continued to beat the poor boy to death.

"Titania! If you don't let go of Sivo by the time I count to three, they'll be no cake dinner!"

"Screeeeeeeech! Yes master, sorry master," Titania said as she bowed towards the doctor, Sivo's broken body discarded and forgotten.

"That doesn't make it any better!" Sivo moaned

Erza sat munching on her slice of cake in the clinics cafeteria as Heler wrapped Sivo in a new layer of bandages.

"Seriously… what am I going to do with you two?" Heler sighed. "Even if you heal quicker than most people, you both are still in no condition to be fighting as you are."

"What do you most people!? I am most people!" Sivo shouted. "I've broken a rib for every day she's been here!"

"And for some reason you have accepted Titania's challenge every single day, right?" Heler said jabbing the boy in the side.

"Yeowh! It's not like it's my fault! You try turning down her when she starts swinging!"

Heler looked over at Titania as she took another bite of cake.

"What?" she said letting out a delightful squeak as the cake entered her mouth.

"Titania," Heler said disapprovingly. "Did you ever think of asking Sivo if he wanted to fight with you?"

"We weren't fighting, we were sparring."

"Sigh… Either way, you shouldn't treat your friends so harshly."

"… You're not my friends…" she whispered to herself.

"What'd you say Titania?" Sivo asked through clenched teeth as Doc Heler continued to worked on him.

"Nothing…" she sighed. "I'm heading back to my room."

Sivo watched as the girl rose from her seat and walked away, her shoulders stooped from some unseen weight.

"Huh?" Sivo mused to himself. "She forgot her cake."

Titania walked into her room and made her way to the closed window, it was different than the room she had first awoken in. One with a view of the ocean instead of just a mural. Titania stared across the open water as the town gave way to it. She let the memories of those she left behind fill her mind as she pictured the tower in her mind. Their smiling faces a midst all of the pain they shared together. Grandpa Rob had talked at one point that for them one of the few freedoms they truly had, was who their friends were.

"Then I don't want to make new friends. The ones I had were perfect for me…" she cried. "I don't want to forget them…"

"Then don't," Heler said as he laid a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "You'll find here in the open sky that friends are found and lost almost on a daily basis… Yet we press on, holding the memories of those we love in our hearts. That way we never forget those who have blessed our lives, and so that they never truly leave us."

Titania looked up at the man, her eye full of sorrow and pain. Seeing for the first time the same pain reflected in the doctor's own eyes.

"Don't be surprised Titania. We all have seen our fair share of sadness, and we all bear the scars of loneliness."

"… What happened?" Titania asked.

"Oh trust me," Sivo interrupted bringing in Titania's uneaten slice of cake and setting it down beside her. "It's a pretty good sob story. From what our master told me, she found Doc drunk and near death in an alleyway two years before she found me."

Titania stared at the doctor in shock. "Yeah… not one of the higher points in my life…" he said tears swelling up in his eyes as he gripped Titania's shoulder harder. "Sigh… My wife was murdered almost five years ago, someone broke into our home while I was away treating a patient. The person had forced himself on my wife and when she struggled... he slit her throat."

"And no... we haven't found the bastard who did it yet." Sivo added, putting more venom into those few words than Titania had heard in the past week.

Heler conked the boy on the head. "Watch your tongue boy, we have a lady in the room."

Sivo just smiled and let the man continue.

"… There isn't much else to the story, I spent the next year drifting from town to town trying anything that would make me numb. Our master found me in such a town like this one and forced me to get back on my feet."

"Mainly by beating the booze out of him," Sivo added.

"Jack," Heler said, hitting the boy on the head again. "Try not to interrupt someone while they're speaking... Sigh… Though honestly, he's not far off. She forced into me the will to live, if not for myself, then for my wife. Since then I've been using my gifts as a doctor to help people where ever I go. Keeping the memory of my wife close to me so that I never lose sight of what it felt like to truly be alive…"

"How did you move on?" Titania asked.

"I didn't," Heler replied. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm still very much single. I just haven't had much interest in women, finding them all to be lacking when compared to the memory of the love I once had."

"And since he's given up on older women, by definition he must be a loli!" Sivo stated laughing.

Heler was about to rebreak Sivo's ribs when Titania spoke up. "Um, what's a loli? You call Doc Heler that a lot and I've been wondering what it means."

Sivo smiled evilly. "Someone who really, REALLY, _likes_ young girls."

Titania looked back at the Doctor whose hand still rested on her shoulder. He went pale as Titania's face contorted in rage as Sivo's words were processed.

"T, Titania… Please don't…"

He didn't get a chance to finish as he was blasted through the wall by Titania's fist.

"… You know Titania, I was going to say that it's an old joke between us," Sivo said laughing as he looked out at the sprawled form Heler outside. "But now… I'm glad I didn't."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Strength**

"Alright Titania," Sivo said in his most professional voice. "What are the six basic elements of magic?"

"Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lighting, and Spirit," She moaned.

"Good… Now how do these six elements differ from each other?"

"Sigh… do I have to do this?"

Sivo gave his best impersonation of her death glare as he explained.

"Yes actually, and if you don't. No. Cake. For. You."

"Hey! Heler that decides that, not you."

"Titania…" Sivo said looking smug. "Who was it that _demanded _that I teach them the basics of magic?"

"Me," Titania said, knowing where this was going.

"And why did you beg me to teach you magic?"

"Because I'm tired of always getting beat by you when you cheat!"

Sivo looked at her as if she had just stated that she had been born a boy. "Really then… who is it that is always the first to resort to magic when she slips up or is about to be beat?"

Titania just grumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear."

"Me…"

"Right, and that's ok. Magic is there to cover everything our physical bodies cannot by themselves and vice versa. Which is why it's important for a wizard to train both physical and magical attributes. And you Titania!" he said pointing to her. "Are lacking in both. And since I'm the one Heler put in charge that means…?"

"Sigh… That the six magical elements effect the world in different ways when used by wizards of different levels. Fire magic focuses on explosive force at its most basic level but a wizard of higher skill can change the properties of the flame. These changes can make the flame act like a living creature, make the flame more resistant to water, and even make the flame harmless to the touch."

Sivo motioned the girl on as he took a seat and watched.

"Water and earth magic are more formative, making them perfect for creation type magics. Water magic is more flexible and easier to form on the move. Masters of water magic can change and manipulate water quickly into even quicker attacks that use the waters density to damage their opponents. Earth magic is physically stronger than all other types of magic, but it's slow and inflexible in comparison with the others. Most wizards can only use earth magic when the wizard is physically touching the ground and cannot move when casting, leaving the wizard more vulnerable to quick attacks," Titania droned on, obviously bored with having to recite the long explanation. "Can't I finish this after we have some cake, or maybe we could spar some more?"

"You're almost done Titania, after this we get to the fun stuff!"

Titania groaned, knowing what the boy considered fun as far as magic went. She continued on anyway because if nothing else, Sivo was always true to his word "Lightning and wind magics are almost undodgeable at any level, but are the physically weakest of the elements. Maters of these magics are usually very mobile and excel at close quarter combat. Finally Spirit magic is considered to be the glue that holds binds a wizard to each of the different elements. It's the person's raw magic power before the mastery of the other elements. Wizards that specialize in Spirit magic are very versatile but are often much weaker than those who master a specific element."

"Good… you may have your cake now," Sivo said as he pulled out a piece of Death by Chocolate cake.

"But it's not strawberry…" Titania said, giving her best puppy dog eyes and forcing herself to tear up a bit.

"Titania, stop... you don't do adorable well."

"Fine then!" She growled grabbing the plate from Sivo. She cut out a daintily small piece and took a bite. She forced down a squeal of delight as the rich hearty sweetness took root in her mouth. It would be poor taste to show the boy how much she was enjoying the cake after putting up a fuss about not getting her favorite.

After several minutes of watching Titania carefully savor each bite, Sivo became impatient. He smiled as he thought of the perfect spell that would make her hurry up. A small magic circle appeared between his thumb and finger as he cast it, waiting for the moment just before Titania bit into her next piece. He released the spell and sat back and watched the show.

Titania bit into the piece expecting the same sweetness to grace her tongue, but something was... off. Later she would find out that Sivo had changed the flavor of the cake to resemble something called wasabi. Right now though, she just wanted to stop the fire that had ignited in her mouth and was spreading throughout her entire body. Sivo laughed for a good three minutes as she ran to the nearby sink and guzzled down as much water as she could. Sivo sighed and released the spell from the cake, taking away the illusion of unbearable heat from her mouth.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" she said spitting out the piece of cake.

"You were taking too long and _I_ don't want to spend all day watching you eat cake."

Titania gulped down the rest of her cake in one bite. "You… You ruined a perfectly happy moment for me… AND YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

Sivo soon found the empty plate being thrown at him like a shurikin. A fist size silver magic circle appeared in front of him, marred by what looked like a bloodstain splattered across it, and caught the plate in a magical grip. "Since you're so eager to start the more practical aspect of training, why not work on your ability with telekinesis."

Sivo threw the plate back, though at a much slower speed, causing the enraged Titania to leap out of the way. "Not bad…" he said as he brought the plate back around. "But let's see what you can do with that magic power of yours."

The plate picked up speed making it harder and harder for Titania to dodge the projectile. Titania's anger gave way to make room for more serious concentration as she summoned her power. Serving trays, silverware, chairs, and even tables rose off the ground as her own scarlet magic circle appeared underneath her feet. They slowly moved to defend the girl from the offending dishware, allowing the plate to gently graze her shoulder as it weaved through mass of items.

"You're using too many items Titania. Cut back on a few dozen so that you have better control over them," Sivo said as sweat began to pour down his face.

Titania's magic circle shrunk slightly as a third of what she was holding dropped on the ground. Sivo winced as a few of the items broke, knowing that somehow they'd have to pay for the damages. Still, it was impressive how much raw talent the girl had. Her mass of items were now easily keeping up with the single plate, leaving no sign of an opening for Sivo, who was tiring quickly.

"_Damn,"_ he thought to himself. _"The difference between us in power is like comparing a spark to a bonfire." _And soon, his little spark flickered and died, to be consumed by the overwhelming power that Titania wielded effortlessly.

"Good… Job… Tita…nia," he panted, now drenched in sweat.

"Thanks, you didn't answer my question though…" she said with an evil smile, not dropping the mass of object she had gathered back to the floor. "**_WHY DID YOU RUIN MY__ CAKE!_**"

Sivo started laughing hysterically at the furious young girl, his exhaustion and natural wise-assness crowding out the small part of him that was genuinely afraid for his life. "You know… you're almost cute when you're trying to kill me."

_**"GAAAH!"**_ she screamed as she threw every single item she had under her control with deadly force.

"**Earth Make: Stone Sheild" **

A large stone wall came in between the girl and her target, bouncing harmlessly off of the newly made wall. Off to the side Heler could be seen fumeing.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!" he shouted.

Titania froze solid as all of the items fell to the floor in a loud crash. "I'm, he, well… _HE_ ruined my cake!"

"**Earth Make: Grand Entrapment!**" he said, stomping his now bare feet on the ground as several large hands shot out and threw the girl to the ground. "That is no reason to go **BERSERK!**"

"Heler," Sivo said still laughing. "It's all my fault, I wanted to see if Titania could stay in control of her spells when mad. Apparently she can."

Heler looked at the boy, his left eye twitching slightly. "What did you do?"

"Made a piece of cake taste like wasabi, and the face she made was _sooooo_ worth it."

"**Earth Make: Sink Hole!**" The ground underneath Sivo suddenly became liquid and he quickly slid down into the ground until only his head remained above the surface. "Still think it was worth it?" he said.

"Yep!"

Titania looked at the two and suddenly realized something. "Wait, when did you become an Earth Wizard!?" she shouted.

"Hm?" Heler said turning back to the girl. "That's right, you've never seen me use magic before. I've always had a talent for Earth Magic and I've trained in it since I was your age."

"Yeah he's actually _amazingly_ good," Sivo said. "Oh, do you think that you can let me out now, it's getting hard to breath underneath all of this dirt."

Heler planted his foot on Sivo's mouth, shutting the boy up again.

"Really?" Titania said, ignoring the fact that Sivo was now trying to gnaw Heler's shoe off in order to breath better. "What you can do with magic is amazing!"

"Thank you Titania," Heler said as the magical hand released the girl and dusted her off. "My style of magic is called Creation Magic. It a style of magic that allows the wizard using it to use one of the elements to make both tools and weapons to use in battle. More specifically I specialize in Active Creation Magic, where the things I create can move on their own after I cast the spell allowing me more maneuverability in combat. Though what I create tends to be a weaker than just static creations, though as an Earth Wizard that's not saying much."

Sivo finally managed to chew through enough of the shoe to get to the man's foot, electing a rather feminine shriek from Heler as he launched himself away from the boy. "What's wrong with you Sivo!? You could have bitten off one of my toes!"

"Then let me out of here! Seriously, it's getting hard to breath down here!"

"Sigh… maybe after you actually feel bad about how you've treated Titania today," Heler said rubbing his temples.

"Why? Our Master did far worse to us as we trained," Sivo said.

Heler sighed again and let the boy loose. "Perhaps… but this girl isn't going to be your apprentice, and you're nowhere near as skilled as The Master yet."

"I know, don't mean I can't try!" Sivo said smiling. "Well, I better get ready."

And with that he bounded off before Titania could pounce on him again.

"Slow down Titania," Heler said, putting his arm out to stop her following. "For all of his faults, he really is a good teacher."

"Sigh… I know, but he's just so frustrating. He's always pulling pranks on me and ruining my fun!" Titania moaned.

"Fun? What is this fun thing you talk about?" Heler joked. "Since the day you've arrived you've been continually pushing yourself to your mental and physical limits. Sivo isn't that kind of kid, he likes to goof off whenever he can and will take every opportunity to do so. Especially with someone as serious as you."

"Hmph, shouldn't my 'teacher' be happy that he has such a serious student?"

"No, not in this case Titania," Heler said, his face becoming serious. "I think it's time to explain to you one of the fundamental differences between you and Sivo."

"…Is this going to be a talk about how babies are made? I really don't really need or want to have that talk again."

"No, no," Heler laughed. "The difference is much simpler than that. First, I need to ask you something though. Have you noticed how much of a difference there is between yours and Sivo's power?"

"Well…," Titania said thinking. In all honesty she had, in just about everything from swordplay to magic, Titania had noticed that she was clearly the stronger of the two. But why then could the boy so easily best her when he got serious.

"There's no need to be polite Titania," Heler said, interrupting her thoughts. "Sivo, is a wizard so weak that he will forever be limited to the most basic of spells. While you already are displaying power equal to wizards three times your age, even if you tend to destroy the room you're in."

One of Titania's veins in her forehead visibly bulged as she reigned in her rage, she was still quite mad at the boy and wasn't willing to take comments about her temper well. "So why then does he continue to beat me whenever we spar?"

"I knew that you were too mad to notice. Titania… you did beat him, badly actually. Though I'm afraid not at his own game." Heler took pleasure in watching Titania's face writhe in confusion at his words. "What you don't realize yet, is that strength has nothing to do with the word power."

Heler smiled at how the statement seemed to confuse her, her brows furrowed in deep concentration for a few minuet. "Your wrong…" she said when she was done. "Gaining power has everything to do with strength, with enough power you can protect anything, gain anything. So I think you're wrong."

The bells of the small church that resided in the town began to cry out in warning. Titania looked out one of the windows to see several large ships making their way towards the town. She recognized the emblem on their sails, they were the same ships that had destroyed her home and taken her freedom.

"Ah… I thought that you would recognize those colors, don't worry" Heler said upon seeing Titania's fear. "Jack's about to show you the difference between your power and his strength."

* * *

Sivo scrambled up the church's tower as fast as his little body could carry him, he had seen the small fleet of warships after he had left Titania and Heler in the ruined hospital room.

"Damn loli's probably trying to put the moves on her too," he laughed as he reached the spire and sat down. "Now, let the show begin."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Hunt Begins**

Nevr wasn't happy, neither was his crew, and neither were his employers who were so infuriating in their demands. I mean they whined over the most trivial things like "this one is too fat, this one too old, and this one is too happy!" What did they expect at how cheap their pay was, 500 jules a head regardless of that head's condition so long that it was still breathing. 500 jules! A decent slave back at Bosco cost at least 2000 jules a head.

But work was work, it was getting so much harder for an honest man such as himself to make a living, specially when it came to dishonest work. Besides, his guild had it pretty cushy in the end. As far as The Council knew, they were the model of a loyal and obedient guild, receiving high praises for their ability and valor. Which was true in a way. His guild had been hired by the Kingdom to help contain the slavers that had started to become so active on Fiore's eastern coast at the recommendation of one of the Council Members. The fact that their guild had been hired by said Council member to help provide a work force for his damned Resurrection project, nor the fact that he was one of the leading members of Tartarus ever came into question. The fact of the matter was that his guild was one of just many who were happy to do anything for a decent price. His guild had accepted both contracts so that they could squeeze the towns they were "protecting" for all they were worth, while at the same time reap the benefits of raiding said towns when his could was conveniently away.

Which was why him and his fleet of ships were here today, those in charge of the nearest Tower were putting together another slave revolt so that they could sacrifice more lives to their "god" or whatever they called it. So they would be needing a full shipment of new slaves to carry on the work if things went well. Honestly Nerv thought it was all pointless, why start a riot that could potentially lead to your own death when you could just kill the slaves on an alter and be done with it. But, they were the ones paying the jules so he didn't see fit to argue. Nor did he see fit to argue with the large bolt of lightning that cleaved his ship in two, not that he had time to notice it.

* * *

Heler led Titania across the small town, rushing past the towns folk who began to panic as soon as the slavers had been spotted. Bright flashes of light and thunder punctured through the sky as they ran to the old chapel. On it they saw Sivo sitting upon the chapel's spire, bathed in a gold light.

"What's he doing up there?" Titania shouted above the noise.

"Oh Jack? He's activating the wards he's been setting up for the past three months," Heler replied. "Jack, because of his lack in magic power is an expert in ward magic."

"Ward Magic?"

"Yeah, it's an incredibly ancient magic that was used by the first wizards. It gathers the magic that is naturally flowing through the world and releases it in the form the ward dictates. It is very similar to script and rune magic from what Jack says, but the time it takes to prepare his spells are absurd. He has to draw every single spell out by hand and make sure that they are perfectly placed, honestly it requires more patience than a kind should be able to muster." Another bolt of lightning split the sky, but this time a rush of energy answered it in return. "Damn, they must beginning their counter attack. We have to hurry before Sivo's defense wards break down **Earth Make: Stone Guardian Beast!**"

"Wait what!?" Titania shrieked as she was lifted up by a giant stone tiger that leapt up to the chapel's roof.

"Sivo will tell you what the plan is once you make it up to him, hurry!" Heler shouted as he ran to the beach.

Titania looked down at the ships approaching the town and was struck dumb with shock. Three ships had been cut in two and were sinking to the bottom of the sea, while several others had caught fire.

"**I call upon The Second Day of Creation: Lighting Fingers!**" she heard Sivo yell, she saw three connecting rings of light come alive with magic power and shoot a beam of energy up into the sky. An instant later it crashed down upon one of the ship as a bolt of lightning, only to be stopped by some sort of barrier. "Damn, I miss calculated the strength their defensive barrier again. Let's try this again. **I call upon The Fourth Day: Lighting Fingers!**" Again a bolt of energy shot up from the ground as five rings of light lite upon the shore, when the bolt of lightning came down, it vaporized the ship instantly.

Titania's brain shut down from the shock of all she had seen so far today. Not only had the same ships that had killed her family and took her to the Tower of Heaven found her once again, but were being opposed by this weak boy and a doctor. And they were winning too.

"Hey Titania! Pick your jaw off the roof and get up here before they return fire!"

Sivo's voice broke her out of her shock, when she looked up at him, fear was evident in her eyes. Fear of what was to come, fear that her friends at The Tower might die. But most of all, she feared this boy, and the foolish grin on his face.

Their eyes met for a few brief moments. "It's ok to be afraid Titania, just as long as you don't let it stop you from moving forward."

But that's what she was afraid of... moving forward.

* * *

Heler made it to the beach just as the ships began to return fire, each one sending out a ball of blue flame that hit the barrier Sivo had set up. The ground in front of him came to life as a wall of light formed between him and the attack, the barrier buckled but refused to break. So far everything was going to plan, at least mostly. There were far more ships in the slaver fleet than they thought, and they seemed to possess some very capable wizards. Still… nothing beyond the contingencies the two had planned for. The real risk lay in whether Titania would play her part or not.

They had never expected to find one of the slaves free, much less alive. These people were thorough when it came to covering their tracks, and most slaves that they had found were children with their heads stuck on pikes. They served as excellent warnings for those who sought to track them down. But with Titania, they could finally start tracking their prey to its den. Even if she was too afraid to talk, they had examined everything about her. The way her rags had been stitched, the manner of torture that was used to gouge out her eye, even her slight accent were all clues that would lead them to these monsters. Heler gave a wide predatory smile as he watch the ships make their way closer to the shore, even more as they began to send out landing parties. Today was when the real hunt began, and Heler had never been so excited by such a thought. The ships sent out another barrage, this time breaking the barrier.

"All according to plan," he said licking his lips in anticipation. "**Earth Make: Stone Shard Cannons!**" He laughed as the screams of pain and death coming from the landing party reached his ears, amongst the thunderous roar of his magic.


	6. Chapter 6

You know, if you've taken the time to read up to this point. Please review, I'd like to know how I'm doing.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Of Monsters and Men**

Titania looked down upon the bloody carnage Heler was causing as she climbed up the spire. "I… I can't believe that he could be such a monster…" she said in fearful awe.

"Our Master told me that sometimes it happens when hunting down monsters for so long. A bit of you becomes a monster to face them," Sivo said darkly.

Titania gulped down the swelling vomit in her throat as she saw the mangled bodies of the landing parties float upon the shore. The fight had been short and viscous, Heler had summoned five cannons made of stone that fired a hailstorm of shrapnel into the slavers. Body parts flew off of their owners as the man laughed gleefully. Not a single slaver reached the shore.

"Try not to think about them, Heler's been far kinder to them than they ever were to you. Now… I need you to put your hands on my shoulders and..."

"_WHAT!_" Titania screamed as she blushed.

"I don't mean it like that!" he replied. "What I need you to do is hold on to me and unleash your power into my body."

"…Why?"

"Cause I don't have the magic power necessary to cast this next spell, so I'm going to use yours instead. It's simple, you're going to act as a battery while I act as the flashlight."

"What's a battery?"

"Never mind…" Sivo growled. "Just put your hands on my shoulders and do it already." She was making this far more awkward than it needed to be.

She finally did as she was told and put her hands on Sivo's shoulders, making sure to stand behind the boy.

"_They're so much smaller when she's not trying to kill me,"_ he thought to himself.

They stood like that for a full minute before Titania broke the awkward silence. "Um… I really don't know how to activate my magic without being angry still."

Sivo groaned in annoyance as he facepalmed. "Well… we'll just have to wing it then." He thought for a moment before he spoke again… "Think of the person you admire the most, focus on why you idolize them."

Several faces flashed across Titania's mind as she closed her eyes, she saw Simon and his quite strength, Millianna and her gleeful innocence, the sharp mind Sho had, even Wally's annoying optimism. Most of all, she thought of Jellal… and of how he was long before this nightmare began. The memories brought tears to her eye, she wiped them away before they landed on Sivo's shoulder. He smiled sadly, she cried far too much for a child their age.

"Do you have someone in mind?" he asked. He felt, rather than saw Titania nod. "Good, now think of how much you wish to save this person. Let that desire to protect those who were left behind work its way into you and seep into your soul. Then finally, release that righteous fury and give it life."

Titania felt herself come alive with magic power as Sivo's words rang in her ears, she imagined the dream that she had kept alive during all of those years in The Tower of Heaven. Of them and Grandpa Rob living under a sun not stained by cruel bars. She could see the house they would live in… the green fields of grass… the unmistakable sounds of laughter… the feel of Jellal's hand. When she opened her eyes again, they glowed with an unearthly light as she released all of her immense power into the boy. The resulting shockwave of power blew out the windows of the chapel and surrounding buildings and a geyser of scarlet energy shook the town. The area roof around the chapel lite up as a giant ward came to life, carved upon the ground and the surrounding buildings in the shape of a giant flower. In seconds, the spell was ready to fire.

Sivo, found himself in a state of euphoria. As Titania's power flowed through him, he felt her grief and determination combine in rebellious rage at the ones who had enslaved her. He felt the love she had felt towards her fellow slaves, the shame she felt for abandoning them. All of it conveyed through her magic and tears that now flowed freely… and Sivo had never felt anything as beautiful as her soul in those moments. It was in then that he silently promised the girl… that he would never abandon her, until her tears of sorrow turned into joy at last. And with that promise firmly etched in his soul, he released the spell.

"**I Summon… Heaven's Fury!**"

The ward collapsed itself upon the boy and girl, it then shot up into the sky as a blast of pure energy. The entire town ceased its panic as the towns people looked up to the sky, the surviving slavers looked up as well. What they saw was something out of myth and legend, a catastrophe that myth stated could destroy entire species. A meteor fell down from the heavens and crashed into the sea, vaporizing several ships and sending the rest crashing towards the town on a giant tidal wave. In the distance could be seen Heler laughing maniacally at the doomed sailors as he added his own spell to the massacre.

"**Earth Make: Hanging Rack!**"

The sand in front of him glowed a sickly yellow as a giant rock wall rose in front of him, on the sea facing side were hundreds of jagged spikes eager to accept the fleet's embrace. The ocean and ships met the wall with deadly force, hurling men onto the spiked wall as the ships crashed against them. Between the use of magic power, the gruesome scene of death in front of her, and the fear of returning to The Tower on one of those ships. Her body gave out to exhaustion and she fell limply onto Sivo's shoulders. Sivo too was exhausted from the spell, his body covered in burns because of his inability to contain Titania's magic power. He didn't let her fall though.

"You're really something, you know that right… Titania," he said as he gently lifted her onto his back. Her soft breath was his only reply as he begun to scale down from the chapel heights. "Come, we have a long ways to go before you're truly free from the demons inside, and I want to be there when you finally lay them all to rest."

* * *

Heler was shaking behind his stone wall, searching frantically for something, when Sivo finally made it down to the shore with the unconscious Titania.

"You lost your glasses didn't you?" Sivo asked sadly.

"I… I didn't want to this time Jack, r…really I didn't," Heler said almost in tears.

Sivo set the girl down before helping his friend. "Have you looked at the other side yet?"

"You know I c…can't like this! You know better than anyone what I'm like without those stupid glasses…" he snapped. It was then he noticed the burns covering Sivo's body. "Dear God, did you carry her down in that condition?"

"If I say no will you believe me?" the boy answered with a grin, handing the man's glasses back to him before he could respond.

Heler just laughed as he began to clean them off. "We're quite the pair aren't we, two hunters who pretend to be better than the monsters they prey upon."

The two sat in silence as Heler's words rang uncomfortably true.

"Shall we get some answers?" Sivo asked finally.

"Yeah… but make sure Titania stays asleep, let her keep what innocence she has left."

"Sivo nodded in agreement as he cast another sleep spell on the girl before joining Heler as he began to search through the bodies of the dead. They gathered up whatever trinkets they thought were important and searched the bodies for any telltale marks. Several hours passed by before they found what they were really searching for, one… lone… survivor.

They found the man cowering behind a worn out chest, surrounded by his dead compatriots. "G… Get back!" he shouted. "I'm a wizard of the dark guild Tartarus and if… if you kill me, my guild will avenge my death!"

"Unlikely," Heler commented. "I doubt Tartarus would come to the aid of the Zradci guild after the council knows that they've becomed one of Tartarus's bitches."

"What!" the man squealed.

Sivo just laughed at him. "If you're going to pretend to be a member of Tartarus, you should at least cover your guild mark up or something." The slaver looked down at his arm to see the cross symbol of his guild, bare for all the world to see.

"I wonder how the towns folk will react when they find out that the guild the kingdom hired are also the slavers that they were hired to stop," Sivo continued. "Why don't we go ask them Heler?"

"Not a bad idea," he responded as they walked out.

"Wait!" the slaver shouted at them.

"Yeeeeees?" the two said smugly.

"The, there's plenty of jules in here for the three of us," he said as he opened up the chest. Jules spilled out of the chest and onto the blood stained floor.

"Sivo… will you give this human waste our response?" Heler said in mockingly

"Gladly!" Sivo replied almost cheerful. He charged the slaver, slamming the scum's face into the floor. The man's eyes rolled back into his head, and the two dragged him out of the battered ship and laid him next to the sleeping Titania.

Heler looked at the girl sadly. "Sleep well our little Titania, and pray you never become as cynical as the two of us."

Sivo picked up the sleeping girl and carried her back to the hospital, leaving Heler to "interrogating" the slaver.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: And so it Begins**

The man quickly broke under the pressure of Sivo and Heler. The army was soon called in to arrest the man, who was eager to escape the two men that had doomed the fleet he had once been a part of. He would testify before The Council in exchange for a lighter sentence and the Zradci guild would be dissolved once the man testified. No one saw fit to ask how the slaver had lost his left arm, he wasn't eager to tell either.

Sivo was hospitalized for another week with second to third degree burns covering his entire body. After the battle and all the legal work that went into getting the Zradci guild dissolved, Sivo felt like he was entitled to a relaxing week. He would have received it too, if it wasn't for a certain red head…

"Sivo!" Titania shouted as she marched down the hallway.

"Oh dear God no…" Sivo muttered as he started one of what he had hoped would be _many _afternoon naps. The girl stalked into the room with a murderous look in her eye, not that Sivo had seen much else from her over the past two weeks. At least none that she seemed to remember.

"Sivo get out of bed and grab your practice sword!"

"No!" Sivo screeched. "In case nobodies told you, I'm on bed rest for the entiiiier week! I am not leaving this bed except to go to the bathroom. And for that going to need help of a nurse."

Titania stormed out again…

"Gah! Get off me child!" he heard a woman scream as the sounds of crashing equipment filled the air. As soon as it quieted, Titania walked back into the room wearing a grossly oversized nurse's cap and scrubs. Sivo couldn't help but laugh at how ridicules Titania looked.

"What?" she said placing her hands on her hips. "I bet as your nurse I can get you better twice as fast!"

"W… Wait what?" Sivo asked genuinely afraid.

"Yes, I convinced the staff to make me your nurse till you get better! Now, we need to change those bandages!" she said advancing on the boy with a predatory grin.

"Wait, no, I'm perfectly fine!" Sivo screamed hysterically. "The nurse already changed them this morning!"

Sivo's pleas did little to dissuade the scarlet haired girl, and soon the sounds of screaming and shouting could be heard as Sivo fought desperately to hold Titania back.

Heler, who was working with the patient next door, heard the noise.

The patient, an elderly gentleman, laughed I his bed. "Those two are worse than me and my darling when we were that age."

"Mine as well," Heler added. "I should go and put an end to it now."

"Nah… let them have there fun, they won't be young forever, or be able to act so innocently forever."

"True… so very true"

* * *

Heler walked into the room as night the day began to fade. Titania lay passed out at the foot of Sivo's bed, who looked more like an unearth mummy than a living being.

"How are you feeling?" Heler asked as he pulled down the bandages that covered the boy's mouth.

"Like hell, the girl almost strangled me to death. TWICE!" he shouted.

Heler put his hand over the boy's mouth. "Shhhhhhhh…. You don't want her to wake up and do it all over again."

Sivo's face paled at the thought of having another round of treatment from Nurse Titania. "What are you here to talk about then?" he whispered.

"Zradic," Heler said.

"You don't think The Council's going to put them down?"

"I know they aren't," Heler said. "Zradic is one of the largest most renowed guilds in Fiore… for them to go dark… how powerful would a person have to be in order to tempt them?"

"So you're sure that a Council Member is in on the whole thing?"

"Yes… and we're going to need the others if we're going to expose them," Heler said darkly.

"What about Titania?" Sivo asked. "We'll have to take her with us, she's a loose end they'll want cut."

"The old man might be able to keep her safe in his school for a time?" Heler offered.

"Maybe… but that's a big if. We were too loud here, they'll want to snuff us out before we become an even bigger problem."

"… It doesn't change a thing though," Heler said darkly. "What the slaver told us… what they're doing in those towers… we have to stop it."

"Yes… yes we do…."

The two sat in silence, unaware of the girl's listening ears.

* * *

The two weeks passed slowly for everyone except Heler, Titania would rebandage Sivo in the morning, then go help the nurses with the other patients in the small clinic. Sivo, after two days, started to go stir crazy and began teaching Titania more on the basics of magic. When he was released from the clinic, Titania could cast a magic circle at will and no longer had to rely on just her anger to cast spells. Heler worked hard to make sure the people of the town were well cared for, tending to their needs with a joyful fervor. He was in his element, caring for the townsfolk that had been injured in the slaver's attack. At the end of the two weeks, he was the most sad to leave.

"Shall we go," the doctor sighed as the three walked towards the edge of town.

"Yeah come on!" Sivo called back to the lagging Titania.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, forcing a tone of cheerfulness into her voice. She had feigned excitement when the two had told her the day before of their idea to have her travel with them to Oak town. They told her that a friend of theirs ran a school that had taught some of the best swordsmen and women in the country. They didn't know that she knew. She knew that they were just planning on dumping her in the hands of another. She looked up at the bright blue sky, clear of iron bars and stone. She cursed it, she hated it. She _had_ no freedom, the only thing that had changed… was her cell.


	8. Chapter 8

**Intermission**

Erza stepped out of the shower and shivered as the winter chill seeped into her home. The Fairy Hills Apartments were without a doubt the best quality of living that Magnolia could offer, but not even the magically altered insulation and windows could keep out the cold entirely. She wrapped herself in a towel and walk tried to dispel the cold. The memories of those first few weeks brought old pains back to the surface.

She had been so unkind to them, she had chosen not to trust them when they had done all that they could to protect her. It wasn't till later that she learned that everything she had broken, ruined, and destroyed, they had paid for it all. They had paid for her room in the hospital, all the food, the training swords she had wanted. They did everything they could to gain her trust. They could have been her friends, if she had only dropped the mask that would become the armor around her heart. She walked down the rows and rows of armor and weapons that she had accumulated over the years and laughed. The worst part of all… was that she hated the man who had taught her all she knew when it came to Re-quip magic because of it.

Almost as an impulse, she stopped in front of one set that she hadn't worn in years. It was a small breast-plate fit for a child, complete with child size greaves, sword, and shield. She put her hand on it fondly, and remembered the sad day it had been given her…

* * *

_Authors note!_

_Hey there, sorry for taking so long to get this up, been busy with that whole job search thing. But here's the next chapter for those of you that have been waiting so paicently. Hope is was worth the wait._

_To help set the mood for the second part of the story go to watch?v=3I6GLmq5FhU _

* * *

**Chapter 8: Sensei**

Sivo and Titania were unusually quiet as the three entered Oak Town. Titania hadn't been willing to talk as the three traveled, much to the annoyance of Sivo, who couldn't help nut try to cheer up the depressed girl. Which led to Sivo spending many nights slightly bruised in one way or another until he decided that her happiness wasn't worth his health at the moment. Heler regardless was grateful for the silence between the two. Oak Town wasn't the safest place for the two, though he hoped that it would prove to be a safe haven for Titania.

"So why are we here again?" she growled.

Heler sighed for what must have been the millionth time. "Cause you miss need training, and Sivo and I don't have the time to do it while we help The Council Deal with Zradic."

"And we still need to find out who was paying them to become slavers," Sivo added.

"Yes… and with all that going on, we don't have time to take care of you ourselves."

"So you're just dumping off here like you planned too," she said, hurt and venom leaking from her throat as she spoke.

The two stopped in their tracks and the same thought ran through their minds. _"OH CRAP! She heard us!"_

The stunned expressions on their faces was enough to send the girl to tears. "You were just going to throw me away!" she screamed. "You didn't actually care for me did you, I'm just some stupid girl that you humored while I was useful!"

And with that she ran off down the street, leaving the boy and man standing in shock as their minds tried to process all that had happened.

* * *

Titania ran as fast as she could through the large city, crying as she turned down random streets in her grief. She had kept her hurt inside the past few weeks and it all had rushed out at once, driving the girl to hysterics. When she finally calmed down she couldn't remember how far she had run nor where she was. When she looked around, tears still blurring her eyes, she found herself at the bottom of a large hill with not a building in site.

"Wh… where am I?" she sobbed as she looked up the small road to the top of the hill. A small voice in the back of her head told her to turn around and walk away. She couldn't explain why, but she got the same feeling of fear from that hill as she did when the slavers had attacked that village. She told the voice to stuff it however and made her way up, it had to be better than being with those heartless liars and she was much stronger now.

"I wouldn't go up there little miss," said a strong gravelly voice behind her. She turned around to see an old man in his eighties, bent over and being supported by a cane. His face was a covered in wrinkles that were _almost_ able to hide the piercing hazel eyes that shone with both intelligence and strength.

"W… why?" Titania asked.

"Up on that hill child are people that _I_ call hypocrites," the man said, the strength of his voice in no manner matching his frail appearance. "The men and women up there say that they work for the better of the town and this country, but really they all are just a pile of spoiled brats. They take what they can and trample those who stand in their way. Do you really want to see what kind of people those are child?"

Her eyes hardened at the words. "Are you saying that I'm supposed to be scared of them?"

"Hardly," the man scoffed. "People like that aren't worth your fear, and they will always be weaker than those who are kind…"

Titania huffed and began walking up the hill, annoyed by the old man's words.

"Why is it that everyone I meet has to be an idiot?" she muttered to herself. "Why wouldn't you want to be able to take what you want no matter what others said… it's how everyone treats me, and I'm tired of it!"

She kept muttering all the way up the hill until she stood in front of a large building that seemed to dwarf The Tower of Heaven in both size and stature was in front of her. She stared up in frightened awe until the huge doors leading into the building opened and a man stepped out surrounded by a large group chattering to themselves and to the man. The man in particular dressed in finery of nobles and held himself as such. His dark shoulder length hair tied back into a pony tail, leaving his face fully exposed for the world to see, it was not a pleasant one to see. Though some women might have called him handsome at one point, that was long before the mad gleam in his eyes formed, or the cruel and sick smile he wore so comfortably. No… the only word that came to mind as Titania looked at that man was run. Turn around and run as fast as you can…

"What do we have here?" the man said, his sickly voice rife with mock concern. "It looks like a little dove here to grace our guild with its presence."

A hand came down and gently caressed Titania's face. "You're gonna be quite the catch when you grow up little dove, maybe I should catch you and keep you in a cage until you do?"

Titania tried to wither away from the hand, but found that the man now held tightly to her arm with his other hand.

"Oh, so you think that you can escape my Dear?" the man chuckled evilly.

"Jose… Don't you think that she's a little… young for your appetites," a man said, trying to help the girl. Jose countenance changed from held back pervertedness to outright animalistic rage as he shot a spear of darkness into the man, running him through and pinning him by the shoulder to the building.

"Is that how you speak to your _future_ Guild Master!?" Jose shouted, madness crystal clear in his eyes.

A bright flash of a sword cut the length of darkness connecting Jose to the spear and the man fell down to the ground. Jose let go of Titania so that he could face the man foolish enough to defy his wrath, tendrils of darkness rising out of him to strike at his opponent. Titania saw that he was facing the same old man that had spoken to her, standing in front of the mage as calm as could be.

"Tell me, Child. Does the future Guild Master of Phantom Lord plan on treating the children under his responsibility in such manner?" the man asked.

Jose took a step back from the man, obviously afraid of him.

"What are you doing here old man?" he asked, trembling at the sight of him.

"I am here to collect this young lady you seemed so interested in Jose," the old man said. "And what are you planning to do about it child?"

Jose face scrunched with anger and rage as he brought his magic to bear upon the man, letting loose a roar that rivaled a dragons. The bright flash appeared again and all of a sudden, the man was behind Jose, just as calmly as he was before. Jose's body opened up with deep gashes across his entire body and crumple to the ground without a single word uttered.

"Though you may indeed become guild master soon Jose, until you look upon at least the guild with love you'll never be able to defeat me child." The old man took Titania's hand in his old frail one and led her away. "Come child, there is much for us to disscus."


End file.
